In My Heart, I Have Come To Love You
by Leilani22
Summary: Hotaru is feeling really sad and she feels as if her heart is breaking after the news she has just received from an aunt. Ruka notices the change in her,but what he finds changes him too. A compelling love story of Hotaru and Ruka.
1. Beginning

Ruka and all the other students in his class are now 13 years old. Which means they are in the Middle School part.

_In My Heart, I Have Come To Love You_

' I always thought I loved Mikan,' Ruka thought to himself while sitting in class watching his once crush from behind. Mikan no longer wore her hair in pigtails, but now let her hair flow around her shoulders.

"Ruka-pyon!!!" Mikan shouted waving her hand in front of his face," Ruka! Is anyone in there!?!"

"Huh?" Ruka asked looking up at the very hyper, cheerful girl in front of him.

" What's the matter with you? You have been sighing all day and staring out the window," Mikan inquired with a worried expression on her face.

Ruka didn't reply he just looked down at the fizzy white bunny in his lap. Ruka has the Animal Pheromone Alice which makes all the animals go ga-ga over him (that's how I think of it). Hotaru used to blackmail him for it, but lately she just stays quiet and stares at her desk. I mean quieter then the usual Hotaru is.

A soft hand went on Rukas forhead which made him blush a really deep shade of red.

" You're not warm," Mikan said taking her hand off his forhead," So what's the matter then Ruka-pyon?"

" Oh, it's nothing Mikan," a blushing Ruka replied while he stood up to leave," I was just thinking about something thats all. Well, I've got to go check on one of the animals, so see you later!"

"Okay! See you later Ruka- pyon!" Mikan shouted giving her world famous grins. When she saw him go out the door she frowned.

' I may not be the smart like Hotaru or Natsume, but I know when something is wrong,' Mikan thought to herself.

She gathered her books and set off to go in search of the inventor who actually brought her to this school.

Meanwhile...

Hotaru was sitting at her desk in her big and amazing lab, but she wasn't building anything. She was just sitting there looking down at her notebook which she used to brainstorm new ideas. Hotaru had a new idea on an invention, but she didn't work on it. Truth be told, she was really sad and she felt as if her heart was breaking with in her. Yes, the sneaky, blackmailing hotaru had a heart...well at least for now.

See Hotaru had installed a communication system with her parents and other relatives before she left. It is a rather like a pager, but it looked like a large ladybug.

' invention # 236 the Lady Bug Com. This invention is a communicator that can send messages back and forth between people with one. You can type a message on the small keyboard or you can dail the pen code of the other person you want to talk to.'

Anyway, she had just received a message from her aunt that her parents had died in a car wreck. They were on their way home, but a drunk driver hit them head-on...well you get the point.

Hotaru hasn't been herself since then. Now, she sat staring into nothingness. Hotaru never showed her feelings, not even when she was alone by herself. Now though, a crystal-like tear ran a wet line down her pale cheek.

"Hotaru!!!" Mikan shouted banging on the door," Hotaru, are you in there?"

Mikan continued this action for five minutes, but the inventor just sat there. She neither said a word nor did she move from her spot on the seat.

"Huh..That's strange. Usually she heads her after class.Oh well, I'll go ask Yuu if he has seen her," Mikan thought aloud. With that she left to go find Yuu.

"Why..." Hotaru whispered clenching her fist against her skirt, "Why did they have to die?"


	2. Shattered into Pieces

_**Writer- Sorry the first chapter was so short! I just wanted to see if it was good so far. Anyway, here is chapter two.**_

**_Disclaimer- I Don't Own Gakuen Alice_**

_Chapter 2_

_In My Heart, I Have Come To Love You_

"Why..." Hotaru whispered clenching her skirt," Why did they have to die?"

Hotaru was tired of just sitting there so she got up and left her lab. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't really care. As she walked happy memories of her parents and her flashed across her head. One of them was when she was standing at the gate of Alice Academy watching her parents car drive away. Her mother was crying and her dad had a girm expression on his face. She never did say good bye because she thought that they would always be there, but now it was a different story. They were gone and she was left all alone with no one to care about her.

Though she probably wouldn't have let anyone get close to her. Now on the other hand, she wished she did have someone to get close to and share secrets. Someone to love and treasure forever.

Hotaru started to run and as she ran she came upon an old tree by the Northern Woods. Finally, she stopped and stared up into the canopy of the trees. Looking up at them she again saw images flash across her mind of her parents. Tears started to form on her face as she continued to see the sad images. Then, Hotaru did something we all thought that she wasn't able to do...she cried. Her knees buckled and she fell to the leafy floor sobbing uncontrollably into her wet hands. The great cold Hotaru heart began to shatter into a pieces as she poured out all she had into her tears.

Meanwhile...

It was raining as Ruka and Natsume sat down to eat their dinners. Ruka was still a little side-tracked, but he was at least paying attention now.

"Natsume! Ruka-pyon!" a voice shouted behind them. It was Mikan and right behind her was a tired looking Yuu.

"Hey have you guys seen Hotaru!" Mikan shouted with a worried look on her face.

"No, why? I thought she would be in her lab," Ruka replied a little surprised to see he cared for the cruel blackmailer.

"We checked her lab three times and everywhere else," Mikan said," but she wasn't anywhere we looked."

"Ditto," Yuu panted breathing heavily from a long run around the school.

"Well, what are we supposed to do about it?" Natsume asked looking at Mikan a little annoyed.

"Do you guys think you guys could help us look for her?" Mikan asked making a puppy-dog pout.

"Sure," Ruka said getting up," Mikan, how about you go tell the teachers that Hotaru is missing? And Yuu, you and Natsume should go check by the middle school. I'll go check around the woods and ask the animals if they've seen her. Okay?"

"Okay," Mikan said running towards the teachers lounge.

"Right," Yuu replied nodding his head.

"Tch..Whatever," Natsume replied while he and Yuu started running towards the middle school.

'Well I guess I better get started," Ruka thought as he ran outside.

Ruka ran all the way to the forest until he spotted a small fawn hiding under the bushes, so he went up and asked her if she'd seen a girl with short hair over her.

_' Yes, I saw a girl running over here.She looked like she was crying and she went over by a tree near the Northern Woods,' _the deer said.

"Thanks," Ruka said. Then he took off running again.

'That doesn't sound like Hotaru at all," Ruka thought to himself as he came upon the tree the deer had told him about.

When he was close enough to see he saw a small figure laying across the ground underneath the tree.

"Hotaru!" Ruka shouted as he nealed down beside her.

Her face was red and her eyes looked swollen from crying. She was staring blankly up at the branched and seemed not to care about the rain that had soaked her to the bone. She was shivering and was whispering something over and over again.

"Hotaru, can you hear me?" Ruka asked touching her face.

She was really cold , but her face was burning up. Ruka thought she might have a fever.

"Hotaru, can you hear me?" he repeated to her lifting into his arms.

She turned her head and looked up at him. Then she lifted a cold hand and gently brush her finger tips across Ruka's cheek.

"Ruka," She whispered gazing up at his blue eyes.

"Hotaru," he whispered putting a hand on her cheek.

She didn't respond, but only closed her red eyes and layed limp in Ruka's arms.She was still breathing, but barily. She had been out here all day and not only that, it was close to winter and it was freezing with all the rain.

Ruka stood up with Hotaru in his arms and whistled to hsi animal friends. A big bear came to him along with some small birds.

"Ruka placed Hotaru on the bear and got on behind her. Then, he said to the bear," Take me to the hospital and please hurry!"

Later...

_beep...beep...beep_

Hotaru heard the sound of a machine nearby. She opened her eyes slowly as she looked around to see that she was in the hospital. Nearby her she could see Mikan laying on the fast asleep on the couch and Natsume leaning against her.

(If Hotaru was her usual self she probably would hav taken a picture of them, but alas, she is not the same person she used to be)

She heard breath by her ear in the other direction from the couch. When she turned her head she saw blonde- haired boy sitting in a chair by her bed. Not only that, but he was also holding her hand. She tried to move it,but when she did he tightened his grip on it. She then saw him sit up and rub the sleep from his eyes.

When he had done so he turned his face to hers. Ruka saw that she was awake and smiled at her.

"So your finally up?" He whispered touching her face with the back of his palm.

She didn't reply, but instead gazed at him like she did when he had first found her under that tree. She had thought it to be a dream, but she now figured that it was real.

"Ruka," she whispered then she turned away not wanting him to see her tears that were coming down her face. She was definitely not the same Hotaru. For now, Hotaru felt empty and all she seemed to do was cry tears that have been held fast for a long time.

As she continued to cry she felt a hand touch her cheek as the hand turned her to face the owner. Ruka looked down at her and felt something that hadn't been there before. He felt this warm feeling tingled deep within his soft heart.

He continued to look at her while wiping some tears from her eyes.

"Don't cry, Hotaru," he whispered at her.

"I don't think I can," she said as more came.

"You never cried before, so why start now?" he asked softly.

At first she did not reply. Then she looked up and whispered," Cause I no longer have the will or the heart to stop..."


	3. True Feelings

**Author: Thank you to those who have read the two chapters of this story! That would be:**

**Lonely angel 94**

**& -kimy-chan- :**

**Disclaimer**

**Hotaru: Leilani22 does not own Gakuen Alice, but she did create this story.**

**Me: Thank you, Hotaru!**

**Hotaru: …..**

**Me: Um…anyway….Enjoy!**

_In My Heart, I Have Come to Love You_

Chapter 3

At first she did not reply. Then she looked up and whispered," Cause I no longer have the will or the heart to stop..."

Ruka couldn't believe the words he had just heard come out of her mouth.

'Why has she changed?' Ruka thought looking down at the hand he was holding gently in his hand.

"Hotaru," Ruka said lifting her chin so she met his eyes," why were you under that tree when I found you?"

Once again silence met his question, but he wasn't going to settle for that. He never truly thought much about Hotaru except for when she blackmailed him, but now that tingling feeling was in his heart as he looked at her lovely face.

'She really is beautiful,' Ruka thought gazing into her her eyes,' I never saw her truly before, but now I see that behind that stoic mask she puts on is a fragile and delicate girl who's afraid to show herself to someone.'

"Hotaru, please tell me what's bothering you," Ruka softly pleaded.

Hotaru's voice was barily autoable, but Ruka coudl her what she was saying.

She whispered," I had gotten word from one of my aunts that my parents died in a car crash a couple of weeks ago...I never showed them that I loved them and I never even got to say good bye..."

Tears began to roll down her face as she continued," I didn't tell them how much I loved them and how much they meant to me...Ruka ...I- I feel so alone. No one cares about me and they don't even really know me. All they see is some cold, rude inventor that only cares about herself. I started to believe in that, but being alone is the worst feeling I could ever imagine. Mikan showed me friendship and love, but I still kept a barrier between her and my heart. Since hearing my parents death, I feel broken and lonely. I'm not even sure if I have the will to continue living knowing that no one would care..."

With that said, Hotaru sobbed into her hands once more. Ruka never knew that Hotaru felt like this. Actually, he never truly cared before what went on with Hotaru. He felt something stir within his own heart. It was that feeling again, but this time he could see it. He finally realized what his feelings towards Hotaru were...it was called _love._

" I care about you, Hotaru," Ruka said hugging her by the shoulders," To me you are not just a cruel heartless person who feels nothing, you are the most beautiful and amazing girl I have ever met. Don't think all that horrible stuff about yourself when it isn't even true."

Hotaru looked up at him. She could see that he was telling the truth, but being who she is, she wasn't sure she could trust him. Actually, ever since Hotaru saw Ruka on her first day she started the school she has had a crush on him, but she didn't want anyone to know so she blackmailed him as a cover up.

" Why do you care?" she asked with watery eyes.

"Because...I think I-"

"Hotaru!" Mikan shouted throwing her arms on her best friend," You're awake finally! I'm so happy!"

Well, looks like Mikan has perfect timing. Ruka was kind of blushing since he almost revealed his secret to Hotaru.

"What's the matter with you?" A bored voice asked from behind him.

Ruka turned around to see Natsume watching him.

"Oh nothing!" Ruka said rubbing the back of his head(sweat drop)," Well, I got to go check on the on the horses, so see you guys later!Good to see your up Hotaru!"

With that Ruka dashed out of the room. Hotaru watched as he left with a small smile playing on her lips.

'I wonder what he was going to say to me,' she thought,' Well, I guess I'll never know."

(For now...hehehe)

**The Next Day**

"Hello Natsume!Ruka-pyon!" Mikan cheerfully said coming into the classroom with Hotaru behind her.

" Hey strawberry pattern," Natsume replied not taking his eyes off of his manga," have a new pair of underwear to show me?"

"NATSUME!!!!!!!!!!" Mikan screeched at the top of her lungs," You are such a pervert!"

"I love you too," He smirked meeting her eyes.

Mikan instantly turned red.

"Why does he always make me feel this way? Is it because he looks so handsome saying everything to me oro is it because I like him? I don't know. Oh no, Kokoro is reading my mind again," Kokoro said reading Mikan's mind aloud to the whole class.

Mikan was seriously red now. She turned towards the mind-reader and slapped across the face.

"BAKA!! You are going to pay Kokoro!!!!" Mikan yelled as she began chasing him around the room.

Hotaru didn't do anything about it, she still wasn't herself.

'Mikan, you are a baka,' she thought as she watched her best friend running around the room. She felt someone staring at her, so she turned to see who it was. It was Ruka. When she saw this she quickly turned away and opened her text book to the page indicated on the board. She was blushing while she flipped the pages.

' Why did I have to like him?" she asked herself.


	4. Love is Revealed & Last forever

Author: Hey Everyone! Thanks for the reviews on chapter 3! It meant a lot to me. Anyway, here is chapter 4.

**Disclaimer:  
Ruka: Leilani does not own Gakuen Alice.**

**Me: Thanks!**

**Ruka: (blush)**

**Me: Chapter four!**

_In My Heart, I Have Come To Love You_

It was finally winter at Alice Academy. All the animals were fast a sleep and all snuggled up in their warm little dens and burrows. Everything seemed to be at peace here. Except for Ruka and Hotaru. Hotaru was still having a hard to time with lossing her parents and she was afraid to love anyone that she may hold close to her. But she was beginning to open up more thanks to a certain animal lover. Ruka, though happy to see Hotaru doing better, was still unable to confess his love for her.

Ruka was walking into one of the many hall ways of the school, when he saw all these girls yelling and slapping someone. He ran over there to see his beloved Hotaru being harassed by some of the snuddy stuck-up girls in their middle school class.

One girl," You are such a loser! Stop clinging to our Ruka!"

The girl slapped Hotaru on the face like some of the other girls. Hotaru just stood there letting them do it, but he could see that tears were on her face as the girls continued there harassing oblivious of Ruka standing right behind them.

" What do you guys think your doing to?!" shouted an outraged Ruka who was breaking through the circle to stand by Hotaru.

"Ruka! We were...we were just teaching this slutty little btch not to mess with our man!" A girl with long blonde hair shouted.

"Who are you calling a btch?! Hotaru is not a btch; you guys are the ones who are btches! Now get out of here or else I'll send one the bears on you!" Ruka said fuming with anger.

The girls left, but not before giving Hotaru cold glare. Ruka looked at Hotaru who's cheeks were bleeding and bruised from those girls slapping her. She also had scratches all over her arms and legs. Ruka knew she was hurt even more than before. Now he knew why she thought people hated her. It was because of those sluts that Hotaru wants to die.

" Hotaru, don't listen to them. They're nothing, but jealous sluts that want to make you feel horrible about yourself," Ruka said hugging tightly. Hotaru leaned into his embrace staring down the hallway with tears streaking silently down her face.

Hotaru backed out of Ruka's hug and looked up at him. She saw that feeling in his eyes again, but she didn't believe it.

"Ruka," she whispered. Then her eyes shut while she callapsed into his arm.

She felt so much pain that she fainted from it. Ruka immediately picked her up bridal style and ran as fast as he could to the hospital.

**A day later...**

Hotaru woke up in the surroundings of the hospital. She felt really sore and couldn't help but whimper as she thought of all those mean things those girls said to her. She truly felt like dying at that instent, but when she turned her head to her bedside she saw Ruka dozying off in a chair. He was the reason she kept on going.

"Ruka," Hotaru whispered in a fibble voice.

Ruka stirred and opened his eyes at the sound of the sweet little voice that always seemed to follow him in his dreams and thoughts. He looked to see Hotaru staring at him with teary eyes.

" Why do you continue to save me when there is no use to it?" Hotaru said with tears overflowing her moonlite face.

Ruka didn't answer her, but instead bent down and gave her a kiss on her lovely lips that have been teasing him for in his dreams. It was the kind of kiss that felt like a sensational magic that was so overpowering with emotion that made you wish it lasted forever. When he lifted his head he saw her face filled with shock and happiness at the same time.

"That's why Hotaru. Because in my heart, I have come to love you," he whispered wiping some of the tears away from her face.

She looked at him with not pain and hurt but with joy and an ostentatious love so powerful it might have lit the room with sparkling lights.

" I love you, too," Hotaru whispered. Once again they sweetly kissed each other.

** Years later...**

Hotaru finally got over her parents death and her heart was once again restored. Actually, the person who mended her heart is engaged with her. Yes, our little Hotaru was Ruka's soon-to-be wife. Her and Ruka along with Mikan and Natsume graduated from their school and were now living on their own. Natsume and Mikan got married about four years after they graduated and had twins. One was a boy named Akira and the other a girl named Ami.

Ruka and Hotaru run an animal reserve five miles from the academy. Hotaru built inventions to help the animals and Ruka was a wildlife vet. Ruka had asked her to marry him when they were sitting down having dinner over at Mikan and Natsume's house. She of course said yes and was now sitting in Ruka's lap watching as the sun was setting towards the east leaving a beautiful arrange of colors paint the skies.

Hotaru sighed and she leaned against the one she truly loved look across the 125 acre land filled with animals.

" What are you thinking about, my love?" Ruka whispered into her ear tickling her with his warm breath.

" I was thinking about the day when you first said that you loved me," Hotaru said looking up at him with love in her eyes," You can't even imagine how much it felt to hear someone say they loved me without me inventing something."

"May I remind you that you blackmailed me with some of your inventions," he said laughing at the memory of him chasing her around the school when he was ten," I never knew I loved you then, but I knew I loved you when I first saw you for who you are."

" Then who am I?" Hotaru said with a bit of laughter in his voice.

" You are many things Hotaru," Ruka replied as the stars bgan to zig-zag across the sky.

They silently watched as more stars dotted the sky. It was a beautiful night filled with that magical sensation like the first kiss they shared with one another.

" Ruka, In my heart, I know I love you," Hotaru said.

Ruka looked down and replied the very same words he had said to her the first time he confessed," In my heart, I have come to love you...and I always will..."

**_!The End!_**

Sorry, the story was short, but I wanted to get this done so I could begin two new ideas I have been thinking about all week. I promise that the other stories I write won't be as short as this one. Remember this was my first story, so I will do better as I continue to write each story that pops into my noggin

Truly,

Leilani


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